The 10 commandments of Beta Group presentations

The 10 commandments of Beta Group presentations

Speaking with some Beta Group members about the Webmission Accademy and the need to organize something to improve the presenation and pitchin skills, I thought that a good place to start would be to inspire ourselves from the 10 Commandments of TED speakers ( http://www.ted.com/pages/view/id/360 ):

1. Dream big. Strive to create the best talk you have ever given. Reveal something never seen before. Do something the audience will remember forever. Share an idea that could change the world.

2. Show us the real you. Share your passions, your dreams ... and also your fears. Be vulnerable. Speak of failure as well as success.

6. No selling from the stage! Unless we have specifically asked you to, do not talk about your company or organization. And don't even think about pitching your products or services or asking for funding from stage.

7. Feel free to comment on other speakers' talks, to praise or to criticize. Controversy energizes! Enthusiastic endorsement is powerful!

8. Don't read your talk. Notes are fine. But if the choice is between reading or rambling, then read!

9. End your talk on time. Doing otherwise is to steal time from the people that follow you. We won't allow it.

10. Rehearse your talk in front of a trusted friend ... for timing, for clarity, for impact.

And here's my version for the Beta Group:

1. Adapt your presentation to the Beta Group audience. This is not an engineers conference. 2. Prepare, prepare, prepare! Rehearsing will improve your presentation. 3. Do not do a sales pitch. We want to know about your product and company. 4. Tell a story, do not just sell a product. Share a vision, a dream, something bigger than just a demo. 5. Keep it simple and focused on the important stuff. 6. Help the audience have a good time: make it interesting. 7. Speak of your strengths and weaknesses. What can we help you with? 8. Show your passion and be curious about what is happening around you. Time spent networking is as important or more than the presentation. 9. Interact with the presentations of other people and the audience. 10. Beware of live demos: they don't work 90% of the time. The other 10% is usually uninteresting.